America’s Cup has lost its magic, says Bertarelli

Double America’s Cup winner Ernesto Bertarelli has questioned the competitiveness of the looming regatta in New Zealand.

That will ultimately decide if the Swiss magnate, who won the Auld Mug off Team New Zealand in Auckland in 2003 with his Alinghi syndicate, and defended it in Valencia four years later, will return to yachting’s most prestigious event. Bertarelli admitted he was on the brink of getting back into the Cup game as he watched the foiling catamarans at Bermuda 2017 with great temptation, but said the decision by Team New Zealand to change the design class again had kept him away.

Now he will watch what unfolds with the giant 75-foot foiling monohulls at Auckland 2021 to see if he can be tempted back.

He felt the boats in Bermuda were ‘‘closer than people thought’’ and that ‘‘competitive magic’’ between teams was a key to the appeal of the America’s Cup.

‘‘I hope this going to happen in New Zealand but in my mind there is a question mark,’’ Bertarelli told Oncourse, the latest video from PlanetSail.

‘‘With the design space there is, the unknown of what is going to make the boat go fast . . . we might not have that magic.

‘‘The America’s Cup is a significant investment, not only financial but mental and physical.

‘‘I need to see what is going to happen in New Zealand and then you need to see who is in charge, who they choose as a challenger.

‘‘I like stability because the magic in the America’s Cup is the matchup. You need to try to find a way to bring the teams together.

‘‘In Valencia, all the boats had their moments . . . today, unless you have a massive budget, you have no chance.’’